Inflection Points

9CREATING YOUR OWN GAME PLAN

Coaching is a collaborative venture, and the creation of the Game Plan reflects that. It's a lot more dynamic and interactive than a one-way process where the client funnels information to me, and I retreat to my office and bang out a draft. We co-create it together. And that co-creation doesn't have to be limited to coach and client. Other people who have a stake in your success, and who benefit when you thrive, can also be involved.

THE GAME PLAN

The Game Plan itself is organized in a grid format. In the left column are five rows: Goal, Vision, Endpoint, Consequences, and Actions. At the top, running horizontally you have three or four goals in separate columns, with their corresponding vision, endpoint, consequences, and actions.

So the whole document is oriented around three or four goals (Figure 9.1). Remember—keep it simple, as a surplus of goals becomes counterproductive. My 2021 Game Plan had four goals: “Quiet the Mind” (daily meditation), “Tools in the Toolbelt” (complete coaching courses and certification exams), “Book It” (get this book done), and “Got Teenagers?” (provide guidance, love, and discipline to protect and connect with my sons).

Figure 9.1 A sample Game Plan System.

One powerful technique for juggling multiple goals is integrating them. Integrated goals are synergistic because they are correlated in a way that achieving ...